Mikel Arteta has praised Christian Norgaard’s contribution to Arsenal, despite the midfielder only spending a year with the Gunners in the end.
Christian Norgaard’s transfer to Everton was officially confirmed on Wednesday, with the player spending just a little over 12 months as an Arsenal player.
Norgaard ultimately departed for £7m, having joined Arsenal for £10m, plus £2m in add-ons. It’s unclear if the add-on targets were met, and it’s likely they weren’t if they related to the players minutes on the pitch.
The midfielder played just 1,040 minutes, the equivalent of fewer than 12 full matches, and only a little over 100 of those were in the Premier League. All the same, he left with a Premier League winner’s medal.
Mikel Arteta insisted on Wednesday night that Norgaard played a very important role at Arsenal, even if it wasn’t an easy role to take on, given his infrequent appearances.
“He played a tremendous role for us,” Arteta said. “When I brought him here, I said that he could be our glue player – an incredible capacity to bring people together, to keep the standards high.
“When he played, he had some really good moments as well, but I understand that to fulfil that role for a long period is not easy. He had a massive opportunity with a manager and a club that I know really well and we wish him all the best and thank you (to him).”
As well as winning the Premier League, Norgaard made his first appearances in the Champions League whilst at Arsenal. No one has ever had a bad word to say about him within the club, and in some ways it’s a shame he had to leave so soon.
Yet Arteta is right that it’s not easy to play a squad role like that for an extended period. Norgaard surely won’t regret his time at Arsenal and the success he had in north London, but at a certain point you just want to be playing matches.
The 32-year-old should now get that chance at Everton, and he’ll be back at the Emirates Stadium for a Premier League clash on October 24th.
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